Device for actuating semaphores



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.. J W STEELE DEVICE FOR AGTUATINGSEMAPHORES.

No. 443,731. Patehted Dec. 30,1890.

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

J. W. STEELE. D EVIUE FOR AGTUATING SEMAPHORES.

,7 31. Patented Dec. 30,1890.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES \V. STEELE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DEVICE FOR ACTUATING SEMAPHORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,731, dated December30, 1890.

Application filed September 6,1890. serial No. 364,187. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES W. STEELE, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a new, useful, and Improved Devicefor Aotuating Semaphores, of which the following; is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a transversesectional View of a railway-track, showing my improvement appliedthereto and means for connecting the same with a semaphore. Fig. 2 is aside view, partly in section, taken upon the line 00 13, Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a like view taken upon the line y g Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side view indetail of a semaphore and a portion of its supporting-post. Fig. 5 is asimilar view to that shown in Fig. 1 of a modification of saidinvention. Fig. 6 is a like view to that shown in Fig. 5, showing amodified form of connection with a semaphore. Fig. 7 is a detail viewshowing an electrical releasing device in connection with arailwaytrack, whereby the semaphore may be reversed at a distance. Fig.8 is a side view in detail of a dog or catch for holding the lever-armin a normal position, and Fig. 9 is a side View in detail of a modifiedform of catch and automatic releasing device.

Like letters of reference in the different figures indicate like parts.

Heretofore it has been customary to operate railway semaphores, gates,and switches by means of a tripper located upon the track and inoperative proximity to the car-wheels,

whereby a series of contacts is rendered necessary to actuate thesemaphore or other device to the desired extent, the tripper risingabovethe track by means of a spring movement or otherwise upon thepassage of each wheel. This method, as is well known, is ob j ectionablefor the reason that the impacts of the wheels upon the trippers are sofrequent and powerful that the trippers and their connections are soonbroken.

The object of my invention is to overcome these objections; and to thisend said invention consists in providing a tripping mechanism adapted tooperate a semaphore gate or switch by means of a single impulse producedby the passage of the car-wheels over one or more blocks placed adjacentto and projecting slightly above the car-tracks and supported upon andconnected with a system 5 5 of compound levers, whereby a single andvery slight movement of the block or blocks may produce a movement atthe end of the lever system sufficient to actuate a semaphore or gate tothe fullest extent desired without causing undue strain upon any of theparts, all of which is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, a represents a railway-track, beneath whichand opposite the semaphore are placed two long ties b, one only of whichis shown in the drawings. Pref erablyupon the outside of the track andsupported upon said ties I arrange one or more, but by preference two,cross-plates 0, upon which are formed lugs c, to which are attachedlevers d, the free ends of which rest loosely at or near the middle ofthe track upon a third lever e, one end of which is pivotally supportedin a stirrup f, while the other 7 5 is extended outwardly and away fromthe track, as shown, its length being governed by the manner in which itis connected with the semaphore, as hereinafter set forth.

Formed upon or attached to the bars (I are blocks or studs g, whichproject upwardly therefrom adjacent to the rails, the tops of said studsprojecting slightly above the top of said rails. Said studs, if attacheddirectly to the bars d, are hinged, as at d, to permit a slight lateralmovement at the top, the extent of which is limited by stops d", Fig. 1.Preferably attached to said studs are curved plates h, which, at the topof the curve, are flush with the top of said studs, said plates recedingupon both sides of said studs beneath the level of the rails, and theends of the plates being provided with tangs j, Fig.

2, which project loosely through slots a, formed in the flange of therail. 9 5

It is obvious that in lieu of attaching the studs 9 directly to the barsd, a bar It, Figs.

5 and 6, may be extended beneath the track and caused to rest looselyupon the bars d,

the ends of said bar being bent upwardly to I00 form the studs g. Iprefer this construction as being stronger and more durable.

At or near the end of the tie l) is erected a post Z, upon which ispivoted a semaphore 77!. An arm at, extending radially from the axis ofthe semaphore, maybe connected by means of a rod 91, either to the endof the bar 0, as shown in 1, or to an interposed secondary-lever system,as hereinafter stated. In the former case I provide a spring 0, inconnection with the outer end of the lever e, to hold it up and tonormally sustain the studs g above the surface of the track. Upon thepassage of a train and the consequent dc pression of said, studs thefree end of the lever 6 is depressed, and to prevent the spring fromlifting it upon the passage of each wheel or truck I provide a lever 1),Figs. 1 and 8, having a detentp therein adapted to engage the bar e whendepressed and to retain it in that position until the lever is actuatedby hand to release it.

Then desirable to use a distancesignal, or, in other words, to displaythe semaphore until the train shall have passed to a given distancebefore reversing said' semaphore, I prefer to employ electrical meansfor releasing said bar 0, in which event I interpose a system of leversbetween the bar e and the semaphore. One means for accomplishing thisresult is shown in Figs. 0 and 7. In the former the spring 0 is shownattached to the short arm of a bent lever q, pivoted at q to a frame 0',rigidly attached to the ties. To the long arm of said bent lever isloosely connected a bar 5, attached in turn to a secondary bent lever t,pivoted within the casing t of a sem aphorc, the short arm of said lever6 being connected with the arm m of the semaphore by means of a rod or.A spring t Fig. 0, attached to the frame, and the bent lever 1, servesto retain the latter in a normal position, as shown in said last-namedfigure. A spring-catch n, having a shoulder a thereon, serves to holdsaid lever in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6, whenmoved to that position by the passage of a train over the studs g, untilsaid spring is withdrawn. The release may be accomplished by means of anelectromagnet 17, Figs. 0 and 7, placed near the end i of said spring,to which is attached an armature r, one terminal v of which magret isconnected to a tripper 2!, Fig. 7, and the other n to an insulatedcontact-point it" in Opera tive proximity to a correspondingcontactpoint 102, attached to the trippcr. A spring to serves tonormally hold said trippcr above the surface of the track, as shown.Upon being depressed by the passage of a train, the electric circuit isclosed, the arm '6" released, and the semaphore moved to its normalposition, as represented in Fig. 6.

The spring 0 serves as a buffer to cushion the movement of the semaphoreor gate. This feature, interposed in some part of the tem, is essentialto prevent breakage and render the device durable. .I [once the movementof the lever e and that of the semaphore are not necessarilysynchronous; but, owing to the inertia of the semaphore arid the quickaction of the lever, the spring 0 is liable to recoil before overcomingsaid inertia, thereby rendering its action inert. To prevent this resultand hold the spring 0 momentarily under tension, I prefer to employ thedevice shown in Fig. 9, in which a represents a trigger pivoted to theframe 1', as shown, and provided with a spring .2, to hold its lower endnormally against a pin 6' in the end of the bar 0. A notch is formed inthe end of said triggerto serve as a stop, and at the same time permitthe trigger to engage with the pin when the bar 0 is depressed. Theupper end of the trigger is bent outwardly, as shown at 2', and a pin ris placed in the end of the short arm of the lever q, the adjustment ofsaid pin being such as to cause it to strike against the part 2' whenthe lever q shall have reached the position shown in dotted lines,thereby releasing the trigger from its engagement with the pin 6'. Thusit will be seen that the momentary detention of the lever e in adepressed position by means of the trigger serves to insure the throwingof the semaphore.

It is manifest that my improved device may not only be employed foractuating semaphores and gates, but for throwing switches or for anyanalogous purpose in which but a single impulse is required.

In lieu of connecting said compound-lever system directly to thesemaphore or to the bent levert it may be attached to the swinging bar fshown in my patent, No. etSO,705, dated June 24-, 1890, or to anymodified form of construction in which a single movement only isrequired to operate the semaphore.

()ne of the obvious advantages of my improved device is that the tripperis moved so slightly. This, coupled with the fact that the lever e isheld normally under resilient tension and thatnone of the parts aresubmitted to a positive or breaking strain, while all are capable ofbeing made of great strength, renders my improved device durable and ef-'fective.

Having thus described my invent-ion, I claim- 1. A semaphore-actuatingdevice consisting of one or more trippers in operative proximity to aiailwaytrack, a system of compound levors interposed between saidtrippers and a semaphore or gate, an interposed spring between saidsemaphore and trippers for imparting a resilient tension in operatingthe semaphore, and means for holding said levers in abnormal positionwhen once depressed, whereby said semaphore maybe actuated bya singleimpulse imparted to the tripper, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with a railway-track, of one or more trippers inoperative proximity thereto, a semaphore or gate, a system of compoundlevers interposed between said trippers and said semaphore or gate, aninterposed spring between said semaphore or gate and said trippers forimparting a resilient tension in operating the semaphore or gate, meansfor holding said levers in an abnormal position when once depressed, andmeans for releasingthe same by the action of the train upon asupplemental tripping mechanism located at an indefinite distancetherefrom, and electrically connected with said semaphore, and a sourceof electricity, whereby the semaphore or gate may be moved into anabnormal position by the immediate passage of a train, retained in saidposition for an indefinite period, and reversed by means of said reachedand actuated by the further passage of said train, substantially asspecified.

3. The combination, with a railway-track, ot' the trippers or studs g,formed upon or rigidly secured to the bar 70, a pivotally-suspendedsystem of levers for supporting said bar, a spring for holding the sameinv a normal position, asemaphore or gate, and means for connecting theterminal lever of said system therewith, substantially as specified.

supplemental mechanism when l. The combination, with a railway-track andsemaphore or gate, of one or more trippers in operative proximity to thetrack, said trippers being supported upon a system of compound leverspivotally suspended beneath the track, a spring in connection with saidlevers for normally holding said trippers above the track-surface, meansfor operatively connecting said leverage system and interposed springwith said semaphore or gate, and a trigger for temporarily holding thelever system depressed, whereby said spring may be retained undertension until the inertia of the semaphore may be overcome thereby,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specificatiomin the presence oftwo subsorib- 4o ing witnesses, this 29th day of August, 1890.

JAMES \V. STEELE.

Witnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, J. B. HALPENNY.

